2. digital
  3. 182068-72868

Why so few devices with BNC's??

It's an ongoing amazement to me how many manufacturers use RCA's for 75 ohm digital connections.   Is this really to just save a couple bucks?  Lower end McIntosh stuff has RCA's as does most Japanese gear regardless of price.  It's not like BNC's are really so exotic, and 75 ohm cables are readily available.  In fact, the general lack of inputs is an annoyance.  Not everybody wants to use USB or Toslink.  Rant over. 😠  Thanks for reading.

[Please, this is NOT a thread to list all the exceptions.]

128x128kletter1mann

Showing 2 responses by oldears

oldears
386 posts
 

For Muse electronics, designed by Dennis Halverson, all digital and video connectors were BNC.

oldears
386 posts
 

A RCA connector is not a particularly good analog connector, even though it can be made at many price points. It is not a digital connector. The impedance of a cable, and its associated connector is determined almost solely by the diameters and spacing of conductors. The materials, and even the permeability of dielectrics is a minor influence. The physical size of the RCA connector is such that it cannot be made to be 75 ohms, no matter how much money you throw at it. When used as a digital connector it will cause a singularity in the flow and a reflection. This is why you see so much written about a RCA digital cable needing to be a certain length. I am not aware of length being a problem for AES/EBU and true 75 ohm cables and connectors. In my experience, for cables meeting design norms, shorter was a little better, and these cables do not need to be expensive. (This does not preclude that golden eared listeners may prefer more expensive cables.)

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